Timeline
The universe; Man have numerous theories of how it came to be. Is our existence the fault of a cosmic cataclysm? Does the world reside on the back of a serpentine deity, as some cultures believe. Did the universe, in all its complexity, appear from nothingness or has it simply been there from the beginning and will always continue to be long after Man has perished and been forgotten? Man of today ask these questions and they will continue to ask and to hypothesize. However, there is one ancient theory not quite known. One that says the universe we know was created when a single being was bestowed an unfathomable power. "Create a world in your own image", they were told. This being had been chosen as the greatest of their own world, put to the ultimate trial and selected as the fittest to wield the power of creation. Yet, for all their wit and might, the being could not create a world truly in their own image. Like Man, the being was flawed, and like Man, there was much the being could never know or comprehend about the universe. However, they did know the crimes committed by mankind in his own world; pollution, war, genocide. And so, the being declared if they could not create a world of their own design, then they would create one alike the world in which they’d existed and from the beginning of that world’s time, they would nurture and guide its inhabitants to ensure the mistakes of their people never occurred again. The being taught the first of mankind about the mysteries of the spiritual realms and the cycle of life that no creature was exempt from, and over time the different races emerged; Humans, Hollows, Quincy, and the Shinigami, as well as other races not quite as formidably known. Some evolved naturally, others were artificial, all of them different. And, as is the nature of Man, by differences was ultimately the stage for conflict set. For all their wit and might, the one who started it all could not mend the flaws of mankind, they’d simply reset the stage. The history of their world was inevitably repeating itself. Historical Timeline The "Age of Ashes" Approx. 1000 Years Prior: The Shinigami and Quincy have naturally grown into two major superpowers. Their polar differences are very soon realized as a significant threat, and ignite the spark that would bring about the “Age of Ashes” Many battles take place as the Shinigami repeatedly invaded the Quincy dimension, Wahreden, with the intention of eradicating them before the Balance of Souls could be severely disrupted. During these times, with most of the Shinigami forces being invested into the battles against the Quincy, the frequency of Hollow-related incidents in the World of the Living begins to rapidly climb. The Fullbring Council takes the initiative to protect the World of the Living. Karakura Town, as the current Jūreichi, is taken as the Fullbring Council’s protectorate, indefinitely. Approx. 700 Years Prior- December 28th: The Quincy attain a very costly victory after a major battle that followed one of the Shinigami's largest invasions. Although a great part of Wahreden was left utterly war-torn and both sides suffered significant casualties, the Quincy were able to completely drive the Shinigami forces out of their home dimension, taking back lands that had been seized by the Shinigami for the past 30 years. With the Shinigami suffering a major blow, the Quincy planned to make advances into Karakura Town and quickly claim several territories within a matter of days. They resisted by the Fullbringers who align with the Shinigami to end the Quincy oppression. Meanwhile, latent Bount cells emerge and take the power struggle between the Shinigami, Fullbringers, and Quincy, as an opportunity to rise to power. The Bounts invade the Soul Society, their land of origin, and launch a full-scale attack on the Seireitei. This forces the Shinigami to fight on two fronts and indirectly aids the Quincy. Karakura Town and several other major cities become war zones and are nearly destroyed in their entirety. Left unmaintained by both the Shinigami and the Quincy, the Hollow population skyrockets out of control and the gravity of this problem is terribly realized in the form of rampant Hollow attacks that take place all across the globe and in several dimensions, mainly Karakura and the undefended Wahreden. The world enters a state of total war, marking the beginning of the “Age of Ashes”. Over the next decade, the conflict would take more lives and destroy more property than any other war recorded in history. 690 Years Prior- March 3rd: Almost 10 years into the war the Quincies were nearly driven to extinction. All of the Seireitei, Karakura Town, and most of Wahreden were left in flaming ruins. Hollow rampages became so serious that it was recorded in several instances that a single wave of Hollows wiped out entire villages. It was clear that if the war kept on, it would mean the total destruction of the world. The Shinigami and Fullbring forces slowly began to withdraw from the war and refocus their energy into controlling the Hollow epidemic and driving Bount forces out of the Seireitei. Although no official armistice had been signed yet, the Quincy, no longer having the military capability to continue fighting, also recalled what remained of their forces except those assigned to aiding in reducing the Hollow population. It was a very challenging mission that would take another 5 years to complete. After those five years came an industrial era in which the world had begun to be rebuilt over the bed of rubble ashes left by the war. Ending the “Age of Ashes”. “Peace Time: Treaty of Vitrands” 200 Years Prior: Although the war was over and most of the world’s order had been restored, there was still very clear hostility between the nations and the threat of another war sparked by the Quincy was particularly feared. Some thought the Bounts, who had gained almost nothing from the 10 years of war, would align with the Quincy and attempt to invade the Soul Society. In an effort to maintain the peace the Fullbring Council wrote the “Treaty of Vitrands”. This treaty did many things besides officially end the war. It stated that the Jūreichi would be divided into multiple territories and each nation would own at least one territory. The first nations to sign the treaty would have their choice in which territories they wanted. Members of other nations are free to live within any of the territories however it is strictly forbidden for anyone to interfere in any way with the spiritual force related affairs in a territory other than their own. * In the treaty Bounts were to be recognized as an independent nation --they were not previously-- which meant they too were entitled to territories. * Maintaining the Balance of Souls would become a responsibility of all the nations with guidelines set by the Soul Society. * Any nation to sign the treaty would become a member of the New World Alliance (NWA). * Any nation to sign the treaty would be entitled to aid from all other included nations without excuse. * All invasions of home dimensions become forbidden, even in times of war. The treaty is initially signed by the Fullbringers, Shinigami, and Bounts. The Quincy eventually agree to the terms of the treaty and sign it 3 years later on September 2nd. From that point on September 2nd celebrated as the official day the treaty was enacted and the day of the NWA’s annual meeting. 195 Years Prior: Marks the beginning of the Hollow Rights Movement. The movement began with scientists-turned-activists who sympathized with the Hollow kind. As a direct result of the Treaty of Vitrands, the Hollow numbers began to dwindle to a point of concern there were also some intellectual Hollows (Arrancar) who saw the lack of the inclusion of the Hollow race into the treaty as unfair. The activist began protesting the Hollows’ feeding upon souls and humans not only as a necessity to their survival but also a necessity for keeping the Balance of Souls in check. The Arrancar felt they too were entitled to a territory and that Hueco Mundo should be safe from becoming a war zone in the event of another war. They openly expressed their willingness to provoke another war before being made the victims, if their demands were not met. This was a difficult matter because there were no longer any unclaimed territories. Fortunately, the Fullbring Council elected to forfeit their right to one of their territories. Hollows were able to sign the treaty and were given the Mitsuyima territory as per the Treaty’s terms. 193 Years Prior: After all the previous residents of the Mitsuyima territory were evacuated a barrier was erected around the entire area and it was renamed “El Barranco”. Additionally, as part of the agreement with the Hollows, El Barranco became an incarceration zone for criminals of all other nations. Crimes such as murder, treason, and failing to comply with the NWA Laws would result in permanent exile to El Barranco. Those who weren’t hunted by Hollows were forced to live in severely harsh conditions; most of the time dying and then becoming Hollows themselves. 100 Years Prior: The 99th annual NWA summit is hosted in The Seireitei. All active Gotei 13 Captains resign and are succeeded by their handpicked replacements in the grand Captain Proficiency Exam. The Fullbring Council announces it sanctioning of Yearly Gafu Tournaments. A total of 3,000 individuals have been exiled to El Barranco in the past 93 years, the current count of active detainees is approximately 300. The Hollow population in El Barranco at any given moment averages at around 15,000. There have been minor studies that show a significant increase in Hollow aggression. Particularly in Hollows who have spent an extended period of time in El Barranco. Given the lack of sufficient research, these theories have not received much publicity. Current Timeline "Current Year" February XX: The world's nations continue to live -almost- in complete harmony, thanks to the efforts of the New World Alliance. This year's NWA Summit is scheduled to be hosted by the Fullbring Council...